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Africa Business Media Innovators
September 27-29, 2026
Cape Town, South Africa

Launched in 2015 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Africa Business Media Innovators (ABMI), an initiative of Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa, brings together global leaders to examine the continent’s rapidly evolving business journalism and media landscape. In 2026, ABMI marks more than a decade of sustained commitment to advancing Africa’s media industry. As we reflect on the progress made and look ahead, this convening provides an opportunity to take stock of the industry’s growth and engage on the issues shaping its future—including the impact of pan-African and global emerging technologies, the role of artificial intelligence, breakthroughs in digital media, subscription and revenue models, and public policies that underpin investment in telecommunications and infrastructure.

Africa Business Media Innovators Report 2025

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Open Letter from Media Entrepreneurs

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Previous Convenings

Across Africa, media owners and operators face common and extraordinary challenges both locally and globally. These include the acceleration to digital and remote online technologies, the advancement of AI tools, the increasing rise of global competitors, particularly social media, and the loss of advertising revenue driving the need for new business models. These challenges are coupled with dramatic changes in the structure of African and global economies.

The Africa Business Media Innovators (ABMI) is a featured component of the Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa, launched by Michael R. Bloomberg in Johannesburg in 2014. This initiative aims to support a flourishing media sector in Africa to contribute to the continent’s economic development. Focused on Africa but with an international perspective, ABMI provides a unique, forward-looking platform for actionable dialogue and learning for industry leaders in Africa to navigate the most consequential developments of a changing media landscape.

Since its first gathering in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2015, ABMI has been held in various locations including Lake Naivasha, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; Livingstone, Zambia; Cape Town, South Africa; Dakar, Senegal; and virtually during the pandemic in 2020 and 2022. These gatherings convene media executives, cross-industry CEOs, public policy makers, technology founders, business innovators, investors, and civil society leaders from around the world. Together, they seek new opportunities, innovative strategies, and solutions that will power journalism and media in Africa and globally.

1,053 leaders from media, business, technology, and government

66 countries

Highlights

• Launch of ABMI in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2015
• Seven in-person convenings held in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Zambia, and Senegal
• Over 1,000 leaders from media, business, technology, government and civil society attended
• Honorable Nana Akufo-Addo, then President of Ghana, addressed the audience in Accra in 2017
• The Honorable Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, Minister of Finance and National Planning, Zambia addressed the audience in Livingstone in 2023
• Virtual keynote address delivered by Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, former President, African Development Bank in 2020

Welcome
 Growth in Africa
Generative AI
 Honorable Geordin Hill-Lewis
Outlook for Africa’s Economy
 Reviewing Post-Covid Dynamics
Art Activism
 Financing Commercial and Non-commercial Media
Future of Work in the Newsroom

Donald Mumba, Founder and Managing Director, Zambian Business Times, The Honorable George Mwanza, Mayor, Chipata, ABMI25, Livingstone, Zambia
Claudia Quinonez, Global Head of Content Innovation, Bloomberg, Abran Maldonado, Ambassador, OpenAI; Co-founder, Create Labs, Charles Murito, Regional Director, Sub Saharan Africa, Government Affairs & Public Policy, Google, Vivian Schiller, Vice President and Executive Director of Aspen Digital, The Aspen Institute, ABMI25, Livingstone, Zambia
The Honorable Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, Minister of Finance and National Planning, Zambia, ABMI25, Livingstone, Zambia
Erana Stennett, Corporate Philanthropy Regional Lead Middle East Africa, Bloomberg, Matthew Winkler, Editor in Chief Emeritus, Bloomberg News, The Honorable Brenda Tambatamba, Minister of Information and Media, Zambia, The Honorable Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, Minister of Finance and National Planning, Zambia, Jennifer Zabasajja, Chief Africa Correspondent & Anchor, Bloomberg TV, ABMI25, Livingstone, Zambia
Yvonne Mhango, Africa Economist, Bloomberg Economics, ABMI25, Livingstone, Zambia
Matthew Winkler, Editor in Chief – Emeritus, Bloomberg News, ABMI25, Livingstone, Zambia
Yvonne Mhango, Africa Economist, Bloomberg Economics, Colin Coleman, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council, Freda Isingoma, Head of AIM Venture Capital Trusts, Octopus Investments, Pule Molebeledi, Chief Executive Officer, Arena Holdings, ABMI 25, Livingstone, Zambia
Pule Molebeledi, Chief Executive Officer, Arena Holdings, ABMI25, Livingstone, Zambia
Harlan Mandel, Chief Executive Officer, Media Development Investment Fund, Adeyeye Joseph, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief, Punch Newspapers, Dr. Yemisi Akinbobola, Co-founder and CEO, African Women in Media, Dr. Chukwuemeka Eze, Director for Just and Inclusive Democratic Futures in Africa, Open Society Foundations, ABMI 25, Livingstone, Zambia
Jennifer Zabasajja, Chief Africa Correspondent & Anchor, Bloomberg TV, Kgosana Masaseng, General Secretary for the Footballers Union of Botswana at FIFPRO Africa, Mlondi Mashinini, Co-Founder, Rumble Ventures & FanBase Analytics, Ibrahim Sagna, Executive Chairman, Silverbacks Holdings, Carol Tshabalala, Sports Broadcaster, SuperSport,  ABMI 25, Livingstone, Zambia
Stone Atwine, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Eversend, ABMI 25, Livingstone, Zambia
Matthew Hill, Africa Correspondent, Bloomberg News, Mélanie Keïta Mariam, Chief Executive Office and Co-founder, Melanin Kapital, Lewan Kefela, Principal, Paratech Africa,  ABMI 25, Livingstone, Zambia
Arijit Ghosh, Africa Managing Editor, Bloomberg News, Samuel Attah-Mensah, Chief Executive Officer, Citi FM and Channel One TV, Styli Charalambous, Founding Chief Executive Officer, The Daily Maverick, Sipho Kings, Co-founder and Publisher, The Continent, Martha Ramos Sosa, Editorial General Director, Organización Editorial Mexicana,  ABMI 25, Livingstone, Zambia
Dr. Solomon Assefa, Founder, Viridian Partners, Oliver Darcy, Founder and Lead Author, Status, ABMI 25, Livingstone, Zambia
Donald Mumba, Founder and Managing Director of the Zambian Business Times, ABMI 25, Livingstone, Zambia
Amadou Mahtar Ba, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, AllAfrica Global Media, Ken Ansah, Chief Operating Officer, Multimedia Group Limited, Thembisa Fakude, Director and Co-Shareholder, Mail & Guardian, Katharina Link, Chief Executive Officer, Pulse and Business Insider Africa, Donald Mumba, Founder and Managing Director, Zambian Business Times, Lamine Niang, Director, Le Soleil, ABMI 25, Livingstone, Zambia
H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana, in conversation with Matthew Winkler, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, and Co-Founder of Bloomberg News, ABMI 2017, Ghana
Frank Aigbogun, CEO, BusinessDay Media Ltd., Dr. Edith Dankwa, CEO, Business and Financial Times, and Matthew Winkler, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, and Co-Founder of Bloomberg News, ABMI 2018, Zambia
Erana Stennett, Corporate Philanthropy Regional Head, Africa and the Middle East, Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa, ABMI 2018, Zambia
Micheline Ntiru, Co-Founder, We Three Queens of Africa, Koyo Kouoh, Executive Director and Chief Curator, Zeitz MOCAA , Moky Makura, Executive Director, Africa No Filter, and Prof. Lesley Lokko OBE, Founder and Director, African Futures Institute, ABMI 2023, South Africa
Matthew Winkler, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, and Co-Founder of Bloomberg News, Raju Narisetti, Leader, Global Publishing, McKinsey & Company, and Harlan Mandel, CEO, Media Development Investment Fund, ABMI 2023, South Africa
Scott Havens, Former CEO, Bloomberg Media, Tomiwa Aladekomo, CEO, Big Cabal, Styli Charalambous, CEO, Daily Maverick, and Mr. Wachira Waruru, Group Managing Director, Royal Media Services, ABMI 2023, South Africa
Erana Stennett, Bloomberg Corporate Philanthropy Regional Lead Africa and the Middle East, Zain Verjee, Founder and CEO, Zain Verjee Group, and Dr. Brook Taye, Director General, Ethiopian Capital Market Authority, ABMI 2023, South Africa
Honorable Geordin Hill-Lewis, Mayor of Cape Town, ABMI 2023, South Africa
Matthew Winkler, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, and Co-Founder of Bloomberg News, Tshepo Mahloele, Chairman, Arena Holdings, Co-Founder and Chairman, Harith General Partners, Chairman and Founder, Lebashe Investment Group, Leonard Stiegeler, Investor, LS and Founder, Pulse and LS, and Timothy Kotin, CEO and Co-Founder, Superfluid Labs, ABMI 2023, South Africa
Nishant Lalwani, Co-Founder and CEO, International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM), Maria Ressa, Nobel Laureate, Co-Founder and CEO, Rappler, Co-Chair, International Fund for Public Interest Media and Albie Sachs, South African Lawyer, Former Justice, Writer, Activist, ABMI 2023, South Africa
Lola Ogunnaike, Journalist and Writer, Yvonne Orji, Comedian, Actress, Writer, Producer and Author, and Danai Gurira, Award-Winning Actress, Playwright, Activist, Artistic Director of Almasi Collaborative Arts, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, ABMI 2023, South Africa
Matthew Winkler, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, and Co-Founder of Bloomberg News, and Dr. Acha Leke, Senior Partner and Chairman, Africa, McKinsey & Company; Chairman, Governing Council, Zeitz MOCAA and Co-Founder, African Leadership Academy, ABMI 2023
Amogelang Mbatha, South Africa Bureau Chief, Bloomberg News, Nyimpini Mabunda, Chairman, Schindler Lifts South Africa, Dr. Brook Taye, Director General, Ethiopian Capital Market Authority, and Mr. Travis Adkins, President and CEO, US Africa Foundation, ABMI 2023, South Africa
Jacqueline Simmons, Editorial Lead, EMEA, Bloomberg News, Zain Verjee, Founder and CEO, Zain Verjee Group, LaSharah Bunting, CEO and Executive Director, Online News Association, Andile Khumalo, CEO, KhumaloCo, and Licy DoCanto, Managing Director, North America Head of Market Engagement, APCO Worldwide, ABMI 2023, South Africa

Mines were once fully state-owned but poorly managed. Today, our focus is on ensuring efficiency and maximizing output, even as we increase local ownership.

The Hon. Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane Minister of Finance and National Planning, Republic of Zambia (ABMI25, Zambia)

We must always ask ourselves: what is the essence of news media? The answer to that question guides how we respond to changes in the media landscape.

Mr. Ken Ansah, Chief Operating Officer, Multimedia Group Limited (ABMI25, Zambia)

Innovation begins with ideas… There’s not enough investment in the area of thought leadership and ideas, ideas that are basically fresh and African ideas that drive innovation.

Dr. Richard Ikiebe, Chairman, BusinessDay Nigeria (ABMI25, Zambia)

Experiment. Always have a human in the loop. Don’t put anything out to the public until you’re sure of its reliability. But embrace AI.

Ms. Vivian Schiller, Vice President and Executive Director of Aspen Digital, The Aspen Institute (ABMI25, Zambia)

We need to make better products…People will invest in them, share them, and back them.

Mr. Sipho Kings, Co-founder and Publisher, The Continent (ABMI25, Zambia)

Our mission is to keep our journalism available for free for anyone, regardless of their ability to pay. So, we’ve designed a voluntary membership model that allows us to do that, and that has helped us grow the organization. It is possible, and it is scalable. We have the youngest population on the planet, and we want to tell stories that make Africans proud of their diverse cultures.

Styli Charalambous, Founding Chief Executive Officer and Publisher, The Daily Maverick (ABMI25, Zambia)

The Open Society Foundations is working to “redefine and reimagine what we call sustainability, which includes incubating domestic funding sources to help media become less reliant on foreign aid.

Dr. Chukwuemeka B. Eze, Director for Just and Inclusive Democratic Futures in Africa, Open Society Foundations (ABMI25, Zambia)

I have no doubt that our country’s transition to a real democracy would not have happened the way it did were it not for the journalists, editors and media owners who were prepared to risk it all for the sake of telling the full truth.

Honorable Geordin Hill-Lewis, Mayor of Cape Town (ABMI23, South Africa)

Covid-19 has helped us accelerate the movement from the hard copy to the digital platform…we are so excited of the movement in terms of technology…the pace was very slow in Ghana, COVID-19 helped us to move to digital paid subscriptions.…

Dr. Edith Dankwa, Group Publisher, Business Times Africa Magazine, Energy Today Magazine and Business & Financial Times (Virtual ABMI Innovators Chat 2020)

The time has come for us to harness the full potential of the media

H.E. President Akufo-Addo (ABMI17, Ghana)

If you only gauge the value of your work by traffic and readership, that’s not journalism. That’s just a content production outlet.

Yinka Adegoke, Former Africa Editor, Quartz (ABMI16, Kenya)

A study by MIT has shown that lies spread six times faster than the truth, even more quickly if they are premised on fear and hate and sadly social media companies are putting their thumbs on the scale of the most divisive content….

Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa (ABMI23, South Africa)

2015 Report

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2016 Report

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2017 Report

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2018 Report

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2019 Report

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2020 Report

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2023 Report

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